Shedding
Some Light on…
Enterprise
Fund Bylaw for STM
The
warrant for the Special Town Meeting to be held later in June is open. The
intent of the STM is to clean up some outstanding accounts that need more money
to finish the fiscal year. As a
selectman, I am going to resubmit an article for consideration at town meeting-
see below:
Move that the Town’s General
Bylaws be amended by adopting a new Article LV – Municipal Water department,
section 1 as follows:
Section 1. Consistent with
c.93 of the Massachusetts Acts of 2000, the water department and light plant
shall be named the Templeton Municipal Lighting and Water plant. The water
department and the light plant shall keep separate books of accounts and the
water department shall operate as an enterprise fund consistent with MGL c 44,
sec. 53F1/2, until changed by law. The manager of the Templeton municipal
lighting and water plant shall annually, not less than 120 days prior to the
expiration of the fiscal year, furnish to the board of selectmen a detailed
estimate in writing of the appropriations required during the next succeeding
fiscal year for the proper exercise and performance of all rights and duties so
the town may vote the same.
This
article was read at ATM in May and was passed over. The motion to reconsider it
failed the next night.
Why
keep bringing this up?
This
article adopts a new bylaw. The Attorney General MUST review all bylaw amendments and changes voted at town meeting.
If this bylaw is passed at the STM, then it will resolve once and for all the
“enterprise” account questions surrounding the water budget…AT NO COST TO THE TOWN OR THE TMLWP!
Here
is the link to the original wording of Chapter
93 Acts of 2000. The proposed bylaw clarifies “enterprise funds and
references the specific enterprise MGL – MGL
Chapter 44 sec. 53F1/2.
Town
meeting gives the voters in Templeton a powerful voice in running your local
government. The votes taken at town meeting dictate to the BOS how we can spend
your tax dollars and how we, the BOS, can operate the town.
The
voters at the ATM in May defeated the article to appropriate a budget for the
water department. As of July 1, 2013, there is no way to pay the employees or
the vendors who supply the water department. As a selectman, I have to uphold
the votes taken at town meeting. I am required by federal law to pay employees
or the town faces triple damages. By law, I can NOT sign any vendor warrant that does not have an appropriation
voted by the people at town meeting.
I
hope the TMLWP commissioners will direct the manager to submit a detailed
budget to the Advisory Board so that an article for the water department can be
submitted for the STM in June. The BOS is sending a letter to the water
Commissioners asking for a joint meeting on June 10th to resolve
these issues. Stay tuned.
My
opinions…supported by FACTS ! ! !
Julie
Farrell
Us old boys in the lower forty believe there may be more to the story over at the Light and Water deparment. Because putting together those deparments was done "Special" that means the Attorney General's office never looked at the original "Special" wording. I hope those guys at L&W are not worried about Ch93 Acts of 2000 being not legal and all.
ReplyDeleteOne would think the AG office will check and double check the chapter 93 and 164 to be ready for what is in next issue of Templeton's business. When it get to the final stage and article 8 investigation reveals the activities in the past, no secret there. Just read the blog,thanks to a select board and people involved for the good of Templeton. A special thank you to Julie and Jeff for your unwavering efforts. This is the year it all may all come out in the wash, Right Bev.!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right David! The people in this town tend to have faith in old institutions. This is why they did not support the article to disband the Commissioners. The people did not have ENOUGH information. Dam, why do you think ENOUGH keeps coming up? The Commissioners have turned in to a group of self serving people, with no limits on what they think they can do, and what they can charge the good people of this town. The arrogance of this bunch, to blow off a request by the select board for a budget, just blu up in their collective faces. Now rumor has it that Mr. Edwards wants out! Must be that light on his activities is too bright. The Chapter 93 Acts of 2000, did not give him or anyone else the right do do what they wanted, with no regard for what is best for the town. The Wind turbine is going round and round! That is a GOOD THING,BECAUSE WHEN IT STOPS, THAT IS WHEN THE SH-T HITS THE FAN!! The cost of repair to that machine will take the wind right out of the town. The mess that has been created by a few, will be dumped on the rate payers, and it will hurt. So Mr.Edwards, no doubt you must be a good guy, but it does not pay to be a follower, and it is too late to deny your part in the dirty deals. It is on paper, in more places than one. This is my opinion, Bev.
DeleteOh yes, anyone want to place a bet? I bet five bucks that Driscoll and the crew do not show up for a meeting with the selectmen!! Any takers? Bev.
DeleteI'll bet you the questions at the next L+W show will be interesting. Any one care to take part in this grand show of obtuseity, Leave it to L+W to get new words made for them.Edwards is the only one with the smarts to fold and go home. Where did you hear his resignation is imminent?
ReplyDeleteThey may have got a sneek preview of the cost audit and it could be off by 1/2 million + and hard to answer the QUESTIONS about to hit their collective asses. It's all theirs,all but stewy. Hope we can get the people in town to listen,I'm sure their not all deaf. I saw a nice Mercedes at the red barn today! Usually a laywer drives them,you know the 300. @ hour lawyers, Not the type my cousin is. One would think the heat is about to get turned up at the state level,What the hell has been going on in Templeton?